Anything YOU can eat, I can eat too! Did you know that?

Right you are, Vegan Valentine. How about we replace the word "fake" with "alternative"?

Funny how some people are grossed out by meat alternatives with ingredients like this:

Ingredients: "Water, wheat protein, organic tofu (water, organic soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), non-genetically engineered canola oil, natural vegetarian flavors, shoyu soy sauce (water, non-genetically engineered soybeans, wheat, salt, culture), non-genetically engineered corn starch, white bean flour, garbanzo bean flour, lemon juice from concentrate, garlic, onion, calcium lactate from beets." and they are ok with hot dogs that may have: Mechanically separated turkey: As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes it, this "paste-like and batter-like poultry product [is] produced by forcing bones, with attached edible tissue, through a sive or similar device under high pressure." Unlike mechanically separated beef or pork, it can be present in hot dogs in "any amount." - see the rest of the ingredients in the link below

1- Pork: , any "meat" can be taken off the bone by "advanced meat recovery (AMM) machinery" that separates the edibles from the inedibles without smashing the bone.

2- Corn syrup: This common food ingredient—which is made differently from high-fructose corn syrup.

3- Beef: After the outbreak of mad cow disease, the USDA stopped allowing any mechanically separated beef in food.

4 - Salt: A necessary mineral; each of these hot dogs contain about 20 percent (480 milligrams) of the recommended daily allotment.

5 - Potassium lactate: Made from neutralized lactic acid, it’s a common meat preservative because of its properties as an antimicrobial, capable of killing off harmful bacteria.

6- Sodium phosphates.

7 -Flavorings: Under current U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines, most combinations of flavoring agents are okay to just be listed as "flavor" rather spelled out individually.

8 - Beef stock: Meat stocks are usually made by boiling water with pieces of muscle, bones, joints, connective tissue and other parts of the carcass.

9 - Sodium diacetate: A combination of sodium acetate and acetic acid, it helps to fight fungus and bacterial growth and is often used as an artificial flavor for salt and vinegar chips—and in the sodium acetate form, it’s found in instant hand warmers.

10 - Sodium erythorbate: A sodium salt of erythorbic acid, it has replaced the use of sulfites in many foods and serves as a preservative and to help keep meat-based products pink. Some people report side effects, including dizziness, gastrointestinal issues, headaches and, if consumed in large quantities, kidney stones.

11 - Maltodextrin: A compound made from cooked starch (often corn in the U.S. and wheat in Europe)

12 - Sodium nitrate: This common preservative helps meats retain their color and also keep foodborne illnesses, such as botulism, to a minimum. Animal studies have linked sodium nitrates to an increased risk of cancer. It’s also frequently found in fertilizers and, yes, fireworks.

13 - Extractives of paprika."

Then there are products like deli meats and sausages - products in the vast majority of households in western culture.

And then there is all the talk about milk... dairy having pus and blood & how some posters here claim vegans are not eating well because their non-dairy milk has supplements.... well so do dairy milks.

Remember that just because alternatives are available doesn't mean that all veg*ns use them as a staple in their diet.... just like not all omnivores eat their processed products as a staple in their diet. So, when people want to dis veg*n eating habits, take a look at what you are eating. In Canada, the majority of meat is tenderized in factories before being sold to retail stores. During that process, the ecoli that is present on ALL meat is then pushed to the middle of the meat when it is punctured (I have included a link below).

The point to my blathering is that unless you grow all your own food and never buy from a store, you will eat processed food... regardless of what you are eating. So????

The beauty of what Vegan Valentine has shown is that there are alternatives for EVERYTHING and thus eating animals is not necessary.... that's all she wanted to say.

So, will some tell me that my vegan diet is not as healthy as an omnivore diet? You will find evidence on both sides..... so???? I really don't care. I am vegan for animals, period.

Okay this isn't really a question, more of a ranty rant.. But I'm vegetarian and I have found that certain products actually are better than the real thing (ex. I really love almond milk much more than cow's milk.. have all but eliminated dairy from my diet) but some things can only be enjoyed (like soy meats) when you have somewhat forgotten the taste of the real thing. When I ate meat, I thought soy burgers were absolute crap and nothing like real meat, and now that I'm vegetarian I still hate them because they remind me *too much* of the taste and it grosses me out. But for those who miss the taste, by all means they are an excellent option.

I think that the better way to look at veganism is not to say that you "can't" eat animal products.. because you can.. rather, you choose not to. It makes the diet feel much less limited. And also, seriously, there are so many plant-based foods out there that there's literally no need to feel limited in the first place.

That's a whole lot of fake meat and processed food. Not really the healthiest way to eat a vegan diet.

You have a point. But the thing is, if your a vegan, why eat artificial foods?

If you want to eat cream cheese, why not just eat regular cream cheese? I get it, you want to conserve the earth, and I support you. But as a vegan, I believe in eating whole, raw foods. NOT artificially made products. It totally defeats the purpose of being a vegan.

Well said yeah, but I'd rather eat home cooked food "naturally-occurring" food rather than processed junk food(like soy and tofu). I know you're just providing vegan alternatives for non-vegan junk food but that's for the junksters, not for me!

Count the number of times you used the word "fake" in your little rant. You are a shining example of what the vegan philosophy boils down to: FAKE.

Good for you.

Now instead of childish rants how about you start helping people.

You are wrong.

Last night I had a deer steak, you can't eat that and still be considered a vegan. You can't eat meat, dairy, or honey. I can. Fake processed products are not the same.

EDIT

I don't care what you eat. Please allow me the same courtesy.

You are wrong

lots of it is FAKE.

Seriously, who cares? I don't want lab grown meat... if you do then that's great.